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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bank — of a river
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cap — a hat
  8. track — a song
  9. rest — a break
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — a path
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. content — happy
  19. bank — for money
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cap — of ice
  22. content — the amount
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com